To be honest, it’s pretty hard to explain it myself without images or video. This video will help you much more than I can with only words:
So basically if you want another summary, water under ground is pressured from the heat to come up to a geothermal power plant, where it goes through various processes that convert the hot water into steam. This steam is put into turbines, a machine run by steam which is connected to an electric generator for electrical power. However, 100% of the water isn’t hot, but the water that isn’t converted into hot steam is eventually returned to the Earth in order to maximize efficiency.
And another thing is that the ideal places to have geothermal energy are places between tectonic plates, usually in places where volcanoes are easily found, such as California, Japan, and the Philippines. These are places where the hot water needed is harnessed most easily.
The History of Geothermal Energy and Geothermal Energy Today
Geothermal Energy accounts for less than 1% of all the energy used in the Earth, which is pretty sad.
It started in 1904 in Italy, where a man named Prince Piero Ginori Conti built a geothermal generator that powered 4 light bulbs. But that was only the stepping stone for impending greatness. In 1911, the first geothermal energy power plant ever built, and the only successful one until 1958 in New Zealand.
Meanwhile, in the US, in 1922, John D. Grant of The Geysers Resort Hotel, built a power plant. However, it failed due to cheaper alternative methods.
In 1960, Pacific Gas and Electric built the first successful US geothermal power plant in The Geysers. It still continues to be the largest source of geothermal energy in America, producing at a capacity higher than 750 MW, enough to light hundreds of huge buildings, an aircraft carrier, a lightning storm, etc. That's a lot of energy.
As shown, the US has the highest output, while the Philippines have the second largest. So I will write some reports on those 2 countries and their geothermal energy programs.
And because the table above was a bit outdated, I found another more recent source stating that the US currently had 2957 MW of power. It also went to go on that the US was adding 103 new projects in 13 states so that it could add up to 3,000 more MW of power, which would power approximately 4 million homes. Furthermore, the article predicted that at this pace, the US would have 15,000 MW of geothermal power by 2025, and what I think is it might even go up with Barack Obama's promise to look for alternative energy sources.
Philippines Geothermal Energy Program
Unlike the US, geothermal energy output in the Philippines accounts for about 27% of its total energy. The main plants are located on the islands Luzon, Negros, Mindanao and Leyte. Geothermal Energy started at about 1977 in the island of Leyte by a company called PNOC. The location of Philippines with the many volcanoes makes it an ideal place to have geothermal energy, which has saved billions of dollars for the people as well as the government.
After initial success, Filipinos kept on adding more and more factories into the other islands, and more location in the Philippines, which has led it to be the second largest producer of geothermal energy.
The Philippines are continuing to construct more and more power plants for the future.
Pros and Cons of Geothermal Energy
Advantages
- base load
- this means that geothermal energy runs at 24/7, all year round. Because the temperature of the water and magma under the Earth is at a constant temperature, geothermal energy can be harnessed without any limitations. Other sources such as solar energy and wind energy are dependant on whether or not the sun is out or the wind is blowing, so they don’t work all the time.
- efficient
- some sources say that wind energy is somewhere from 25-30% capacity factor, compared to the 95-98% stated for geothermal energy. This means that all the energy harnessed by geothermal plants are effectively being used.
- Energycore states that its geothermal housing system is about 30-70% more efficient than conventional methods, which saves money.
- clean
- geothermal power plants average about only 5% of CO2 gasses that fossil fuel plants emit for the same amount of energy exerted. That’s a ridiculously small amount, especially because CO2 is extremely harmful for the environment.
- economic
- gas prices always seem to fluctuate greatly, and with the use of geothermal energy, it would reduce the dependence of fossil fuel, and actually save money for houses that use air conditioning and heating extensively. According to the Energycore, houses that use geothermal heating/air conditioning are saving money because the conventional air conditioner/heater uses outside air, and converts it into cold or hot air. Assuming that you use a heater in the winter and an A/C in the summer, the outside air has difference in temperature than the air you want to turn it into. But the temperature in the Earth is a better temperature at about 40-80 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning that there is less heating/cooling to be done.
- also, Energycore states that the cost to install its system can be repaid on an average of 5-7 years, meaning that it’s an investment that hopefully people will actually earn money from in the long run.
- renewable
- because water is unlimited and heat is unlimited under the Earth, theoretically, it is a renewable resource.
Disadvantages
- thermodynamics
- due to the law of thermodynamics, some heat could be lost, and efficiency could be possibly be lowered.
- land stability
- land around geothermal power plants have been proven to become unstable, meaning that it could crumble easily.
- small amount of pollution
- there still is pollution of CO2. Depending on the geothermal plant, the amount of CO2 output for geothermal plants could range anywhere from 0.1%-5% of the amount of CO2 output of fossil fuel power plants even with the same amount of energy output.
- water contamination
- the water injected back to the earth could contain trace amounts of "dangerous elements such as mercury, arsenic, antimony, etc." If any of these found its way into a freshwater river, the contaminated river could possibly become unsafe to drink.
- initial cost
- the initial cost to build a geothermal power plant, is approximately $2800/KW. So if you wanted to construct the Geysers, which has a maximum capacity of 750 MW, it would cost an initial amount of about $2,100,000,000. So it's not cheap.
- long run
- although heat is unlimited, if a plant harnesses too much water, the water supply could potentially run out after a few decades of use. Also, some plants decrease their energy output after a while, leading some to ask if geothermal energy is truly renewable or not.
Why don't some countries use Geothermal Energy?
Well, as stated before, it costs a lot of money, which wouldn't help poorer, developing countries.
Also, many countries believe it to be a risk because of the possible long-run failure.
Furthermore, it's easier to get more energy from countries and locations that are between tectonic plates, such as the Philippines and California. Even though its available to almost all parts of Earth, it's just easier and more efficient to get it from some parts of Earth than other parts. That's one big reason why I think Korea doesn't use it for energy, although Korea uses it for saunas (public baths) and other hot spring stuff.
Another reason why I think many countries don't use geothermal energy is due to the lack of public awareness. In order for the government to do something, the demand from the people has to be high in order for a government to do something about it. The fact that geothermal energy isn't used too often makes it unheard of. Before doing this project, I had no idea what geothermal energy is. Chances are, many other people don't know. If they knew what I knew now, maybe they would petition for Korea or their home country to use this potentially-wonderful source of energy.
Final Thoughts/Conclusion
According to Wikipedia, the possibilities and potential for geothermal energy are nearly endless. According to the MIT Enhanced Geothermal Systems, the US could harness over 100 GW of geothermal energy by 2050.
They also reported that the world has 13,000 ZJ, which is a measurement for geothermal energy. Of this, currently about 200 ZJ can be harnessed and used. But with technological improvements, that number could go up to 2,000 ZJ - enough energy for the world to go for centuries without thinking at all about energy deficiency.
This could potentially be one of the greatest things to happen to man. But will it happen? Although many countries and people are cautious about this type of move, I believe that the world should try something new.
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
This is a plant in Ireland.
SO... what in the world is GEOTHERMAL ENERGY?!?
To be honest, it’s pretty hard to explain it myself without images or video. This video will help you much more than I can with only words:So basically if you want another summary, water under ground is pressured from the heat to come up to a geothermal power plant, where it goes through various processes that convert the hot water into steam. This steam is put into turbines, a machine run by steam which is connected to an electric generator for electrical power. However, 100% of the water isn’t hot, but the water that isn’t converted into hot steam is eventually returned to the Earth in order to maximize efficiency.
Another diagram to help.
And another thing is that the ideal places to have geothermal energy are places between tectonic plates, usually in places where volcanoes are easily found, such as California, Japan, and the Philippines. These are places where the hot water needed is harnessed most easily.
The History of Geothermal Energy and Geothermal Energy Today
Geothermal Energy accounts for less than 1% of all the energy used in the Earth, which is pretty sad.It started in 1904 in Italy, where a man named Prince Piero Ginori Conti built a geothermal generator that powered 4 light bulbs. But that was only the stepping stone for impending greatness. In 1911, the first geothermal energy power plant ever built, and the only successful one until 1958 in New Zealand.
(Prince Piero Ginori Conti of Italy)
Meanwhile, in the US, in 1922, John D. Grant of The Geysers Resort Hotel, built a power plant. However, it failed due to cheaper alternative methods.
In 1960, Pacific Gas and Electric built the first successful US geothermal power plant in The Geysers. It still continues to be the largest source of geothermal energy in America, producing at a capacity higher than 750 MW, enough to light hundreds of huge buildings, an aircraft carrier, a lightning storm, etc. That's a lot of energy.
Today, more than 20 countries in the world produce geothermal energy. Here's a chart (from http://www.solarnavigator.net/geothermal_energy.htm):
As shown, the US has the highest output, while the Philippines have the second largest. So I will write some reports on those 2 countries and their geothermal energy programs.
US Geothermal Energy Program
Here's a map of power plants in California, one of the biggest producers of geothermal energy in the USA:
And because the table above was a bit outdated, I found another more recent source stating that the US currently had 2957 MW of power. It also went to go on that the US was adding 103 new projects in 13 states so that it could add up to 3,000 more MW of power, which would power approximately 4 million homes. Furthermore, the article predicted that at this pace, the US would have 15,000 MW of geothermal power by 2025, and what I think is it might even go up with Barack Obama's promise to look for alternative energy sources.
Philippines Geothermal Energy Program
Unlike the US, geothermal energy output in the Philippines accounts for about 27% of its total energy. The main plants are located on the islands Luzon, Negros, Mindanao and Leyte. Geothermal Energy started at about 1977 in the island of Leyte by a company called PNOC. The location of Philippines with the many volcanoes makes it an ideal place to have geothermal energy, which has saved billions of dollars for the people as well as the government.After initial success, Filipinos kept on adding more and more factories into the other islands, and more location in the Philippines, which has led it to be the second largest producer of geothermal energy.
The Philippines are continuing to construct more and more power plants for the future.
Pros and Cons of Geothermal Energy
Advantages
- base load- this means that geothermal energy runs at 24/7, all year round. Because the temperature of the water and magma under the Earth is at a constant temperature, geothermal energy can be harnessed without any limitations. Other sources such as solar energy and wind energy are dependant on whether or not the sun is out or the wind is blowing, so they don’t work all the time.
- efficient
- some sources say that wind energy is somewhere from 25-30% capacity factor, compared to the 95-98% stated for geothermal energy. This means that all the energy harnessed by geothermal plants are effectively being used.
- Energycore states that its geothermal housing system is about 30-70% more efficient than conventional methods, which saves money.
- clean
- geothermal power plants average about only 5% of CO2 gasses that fossil fuel plants emit for the same amount of energy exerted. That’s a ridiculously small amount, especially because CO2 is extremely harmful for the environment.
- economic
- gas prices always seem to fluctuate greatly, and with the use of geothermal energy, it would reduce the dependence of fossil fuel, and actually save money for houses that use air conditioning and heating extensively. According to the Energycore, houses that use geothermal heating/air conditioning are saving money because the conventional air conditioner/heater uses outside air, and converts it into cold or hot air. Assuming that you use a heater in the winter and an A/C in the summer, the outside air has difference in temperature than the air you want to turn it into. But the temperature in the Earth is a better temperature at about 40-80 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning that there is less heating/cooling to be done.
- also, Energycore states that the cost to install its system can be repaid on an average of 5-7 years, meaning that it’s an investment that hopefully people will actually earn money from in the long run.
- renewable
- because water is unlimited and heat is unlimited under the Earth, theoretically, it is a renewable resource.
Disadvantages
- thermodynamics
- due to the law of thermodynamics, some heat could be lost, and efficiency could be possibly be lowered.
- land stability
- land around geothermal power plants have been proven to become unstable, meaning that it could crumble easily.
- small amount of pollution
- there still is pollution of CO2. Depending on the geothermal plant, the amount of CO2 output for geothermal plants could range anywhere from 0.1%-5% of the amount of CO2 output of fossil fuel power plants even with the same amount of energy output.
- water contamination
- the water injected back to the earth could contain trace amounts of "dangerous elements such as mercury, arsenic, antimony, etc." If any of these found its way into a freshwater river, the contaminated river could possibly become unsafe to drink.
- initial cost
- the initial cost to build a geothermal power plant, is approximately $2800/KW. So if you wanted to construct the Geysers, which has a maximum capacity of 750 MW, it would cost an initial amount of about $2,100,000,000. So it's not cheap.
- long run
- although heat is unlimited, if a plant harnesses too much water, the water supply could potentially run out after a few decades of use. Also, some plants decrease their energy output after a while, leading some to ask if geothermal energy is truly renewable or not.
Why don't some countries use Geothermal Energy?
Well, as stated before, it costs a lot of money, which wouldn't help poorer, developing countries.Also, many countries believe it to be a risk because of the possible long-run failure.
Furthermore, it's easier to get more energy from countries and locations that are between tectonic plates, such as the Philippines and California. Even though its available to almost all parts of Earth, it's just easier and more efficient to get it from some parts of Earth than other parts. That's one big reason why I think Korea doesn't use it for energy, although Korea uses it for saunas (public baths) and other hot spring stuff.
Another reason why I think many countries don't use geothermal energy is due to the lack of public awareness. In order for the government to do something, the demand from the people has to be high in order for a government to do something about it. The fact that geothermal energy isn't used too often makes it unheard of. Before doing this project, I had no idea what geothermal energy is. Chances are, many other people don't know. If they knew what I knew now, maybe they would petition for Korea or their home country to use this potentially-wonderful source of energy.
Final Thoughts/Conclusion
According to Wikipedia, the possibilities and potential for geothermal energy are nearly endless. According to the MIT Enhanced Geothermal Systems, the US could harness over 100 GW of geothermal energy by 2050.They also reported that the world has 13,000 ZJ, which is a measurement for geothermal energy. Of this, currently about 200 ZJ can be harnessed and used. But with technological improvements, that number could go up to 2,000 ZJ - enough energy for the world to go for centuries without thinking at all about energy deficiency.
This could potentially be one of the greatest things to happen to man. But will it happen? Although many countries and people are cautious about this type of move, I believe that the world should try something new.
Because if we don't, we'll never know.
Citations
Websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_power
http://www.solarnavigator.net/geothermal_energy.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJmqGt2O_aE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r-0AkKasiw&feature=related
http://www.energycore.com.au/
http://www.utilipoint.com/issuealert/print.asp?id=1728
http://www.geo-energy.org/publications/reports/Environmental%20Guide.pdf
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=53668
http://www.philippines.hvu.nl/leyte2.htm
http://www.pr-inside.com/philippines-geothermal-use-getting-global-r859311.htm
http://www.geo-energy.org/aboutGE/powerPlantCost.asp
Videos (Documentaries on Youtube)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJmqGt2O_aE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r-0AkKasiw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOKk-bA-cTA
Photos:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/NesjavellirPowerPlant_edit2.jpg
http://www.greenhabitatdesign.com/Alternative%20Energy%20Geothermal.gif
http://geothermal.marin.org/geopresentation/images/img050.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e7/West_Ford_Flat_Geothermal_Cooling_Tower.JPG
http://www.energy.ca.gov/maps/power_plant_map_state.gif
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b3/Wairakei_Geothermal_Power_Plant.jpg